Previewing The Combine: Offensive and Defensive Line

OT Mike Adams will look to secure his stock in Indy

The offensive skill positions may be the most fun to watch during the combine week but the games are still won and lost every Sunday in the trenches. Today we will preview those prospects who fit the trench wars. You can be sure that every NFL GM, scout, and staff member will have all eyes on the turf in Indy when these behemoths begin their workout.

The Offensive Lineman will take their official measurements on Thursday, February 23rd and then workout on Saturday February 25th.

This offensive tackle is stacked from top to bottom with prospect who range from guys who could come in and be Day 1 starters, to guys who will have 7-10 year careers in the NFL as productive starters/backups. Nobody knows how important offensive line depth is for a team more than the Buffalo Bills who have run through offensive lineman like they were speed dating.

At the top the player to watch is going to be USC OT Matt Kalil, he’s called the most athletic OT in this class and there is plenty of reason for that. He should test pretty highly for all OL and do very well in the positional drills.

The battle to watch may be among the #2 OT’s where prospects like Mike Adams, Riley Reiff, Johnathan Martin, and Zebrie Sanders will be battling to show whose the most athletic. Each has something to prove as both Adams and Reiff need to show the ability to get proper depth on their kick steps. Martin needs to show he has put on the necessary weight and is still as athletic as he was before, and Sanders needs to show people that he has the athleticism to play LT after an up and down season.

A few of the OT’s are likely going to be switching to OG in the NFL and they include Cordy Glenn, Senio Kelemete, Amini Silatolu, Matt Reynolds, and Paul Cornick. There are a few others possibilities of guys who could move but those are the guys we feel comfortable rankings as OG’s right now.

A number of non-BCS OT’s are going to be fun to watch this week as Matt McCants, James Brown, Lamar Holmes, Nate Potter, and Kelvin Beachum all will have to show something above and beyond to move up.

Finally look for Division II OT Amini Silatolu to possibly be the strongest man at the combine. He is incredibly strong on film and could set the mark for everybody else on the bench.